The present invention relates to a retaining strap for providing supplemental securement of a beam clamp to the beam in steel construction. It is commonplace in such construction to support fluid lines such as water pipes and gas lines as well as other loads from an I-Beam by means of a C-clamp which engages the I-Beam and carries a depending rod by means of a threaded attachment between the rod and the clamp. The load is supported by the lower end of the depending rod. Because of expansion, contraction and vibration, it is desirable to provide additional securement of the C-clamp to the I-Beam to prevent the C-clamp from working loose. This additional securement is typically provided by a metal retaining strap and is frequently required by applicable building codes. Such straps are also used in areas of high seismic activity.
The conventional configuration of retaining strap used in providing supplemental securement for beam clamps comprises a flat elongated steel member having a hole proximate one end thereof. To secure the strap in place, the load carrying rod is extended through the hole in the strap adjacent the clamp and the free end of the strap is then bent tightly about a portion of the beam. As I-Beams are frequently disposed under and against the flat surface which they support, the clamp generally must be secured to the bottom portion of the beam. Accordingly, to secure the strap in place, it is necessary to extend the load carrying rod through the hold in the strap prior to threadably engaging the rod with the clamp. The strap then extends along the lower surface of the clamp and the free end of the strap is bent tightly about a lower portion of the beam. While such a securement provides the desired additional support for the load carrying rod, its use is relatively labor intensive, particularly in retrofit application, due to the need to disengage the rod from the clamp to effect the securement of the strap. The problem becomes more acute during retrofit situations involving long water pipes which are quite heavy and can require hundreds of such securements. It would be highly desirable to provide a strap mechanism which retained the benefits of the retaining straps currently in use but which obviated the need to disengage the load carrying rods from their supporting C-clamps during installation. The strap of the present invention achieves this goal.
In a modified embodiment of the present invention, the strap provides securement of a pipe or line within a conventional "U"-shaped hanger of the type typically used in wooden construction. The stay provides such securement in retrofit applications without the need to remove the hanger or separate the hanger from the pipe or line.